Referring a Child
Referring a child is easy and is the first step in making a child's wish come true. If you know of a child with a life-threatening medical condition, your referral could lead to a magical and empowering wish experience and help a child get through a painful and frightening time. Children and their families are energized by a wish - imagining it, describing it, planning it, anticipating it and, finally, experiencing it.
Let the power of a wish begin with your referral.
All children must be referred by themselves, by a parent or legal guardian, or by a physician or social worker. (If you are a friend or relative of a potentially elgible child, we ask that you speak to the family personally and encourage them to call us directly.) Any child is eligible if they have reached the age of 2 1/2 and are under 18, have been deteremined by a physician to have a life-threatening medical condition, and have not been granted a previous wish. Make-A-Wish chapters grant wishes to all eligible children regardless of race, religion, or economic status.
Referring is as simple as completing our online referral form, or placing a phone call to our office at 615-259-2324 x 2. Ask to speak with our Director of Program Services who will ask a few questions which will take approximately 5 minutes. We can also mail or fax you a copy of our referral form if you prefer.
Once the Referral Form is complete, our office will send a Medical Authorization form to the child's physician, who will make the final determination of whether the child is medically eligible to receive a wish. Once the physician returns the completed paperwork to our office, we will know if the child qualifies for a wish.
Our chapter takes referrals from children living in the 33 counties of Middle Tennessee. If your child lives outside our territory or you have a question about where to refer a child, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will provide contact information for the appropriate chapter.
